


Heading Straight for the Castle

by stewieismyhomeboy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Parent Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 01:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20399134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stewieismyhomeboy/pseuds/stewieismyhomeboy
Summary: In a Game of Thrones-esque fantasy AU, King Anthony Stark of Riverswell's eldest daughter, Princess Roslyn, is in love with her personal guard, Sir James Barnes, but after a tragedy strikes her personally, she decides to marry Prince Brock of Hydra, joining their kingdoms to ensure security for her people. However, Brock proves to be a cruel husband, so she abandons him and runs off with Sir James. When King Anthony learns of how cruel Prince Brock has been to her, he declares war against Hydra, for revenge and to oust the cruel rulers of the land of Hydra.(Notes: Rape is mentioned in later chapters, but will not be explicitly depicted.)





	Heading Straight for the Castle

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter Warnings: Implied sexual activity

Morgana Stark was climbing the main castle wall. She was only five, and despite being a princess, she was rambunctious, hard to control. Her father, King Anthony Stark of Riverswell, seemed to laugh at her wild antics, but her mother, Virginia, found her to be a handful.

Morgana peeked into the window, seeing her older half-sister, Roslyn, being dressed by Natasha, her official handmaiden, and unofficially the Master of Whispers. Morgana couldn’t hear what they were talking about, so she leaned in closer.

“You know, as future queen, I could have you executed for torture!” she laughed, as Natasha tied her tightly into her gown. Tonight would be Roslyn’s debut at court, and eligible princes from all over Breynstan would be coming to seek her hand as the future queen. Of course, Virginia told Morgana she was too young, and would instead be spending the night with Wanda, a healer from the far-off land of Sokovia.

“You wouldn’t do that though, because you love me.” Natasha laughed.

“That’s what you think!” Roslyn joked.

It was then that Morgana’s foot had slipped. But just before she was about to fall, she felt someone grabbed her hand and looked up to see that it was Natasha. “Oh look, Princess, I found a squirrel at your window!”

“Hey, I’m no squirrel!” Morgana said, pouting.

Natasha pulled Morgana into Roslyn’s chambers. “Morgana, you heard what mother said, you shouldn’t be climbing the castle walls, you could get hurt.”

“But mother wants me to help her and Lord Vision prepare for tonight. I don’t want to help her decorate for a party I don’t even get to go to!”

“You should be so lucky you don’t get to go. I would love to trade places with you and play with Wanda.” Roslyn said.

“Well, why don’t we? I can put on your pretty dress, and you can play with Wanda and go to bed.” Morgana said, causing a laugh from Natasha and Roslyn.

“Morgana, it isn’t that simple. Sometimes, we must do things we don’t like to do, that’s just how life is.” Roslyn explained.

“Well, that doesn’t sound fair.”

“It isn’t Morg. But there are more things that are way more unfair, and so father, mother and I are working to make those things fair. And you’ll help us do that one day, but you must be good and listen to mother until then, okay?”

Morgana groaned, nodded and walked out of Roslyn’s chambers. That was when Natasha resumed dressing Roslyn, who was still in her underwear.

“Tonight, your father would like you to dance with Prince Loki of Asgard, Prince Johnathan of Storm’s Bay, and Prince Scott of Xaviera. Natasha said to her rattling off the names of the most important guests of the night, the eligible princes from other kingdoms who were vying for her hand in marriage. There would also be the other lords and ladies of Riverswell, and other kingdoms who may not have an eligible match, but would at least try to gain favor with House Stark.

The Starks had controlled Riverswell from Myrrdin Castle since Lord Howard of Starksport overthrew King Obadiah of House Stane due to his incompetence as a ruler. In the land of Breynstan, Riverswell was on the east of the land, right by the sea, and as such, the King of Riverswell controlled all the ports to Breynstan, making House Stark, Myrrdin and the land of Riverswell quite wealthy.

Breynstan was a large land, broken up into 6 kingdoms. To the direct southwest of Riverswell was Asgard, a fertile land ruled by King Odin, whose wife, Queen Frigga, had recently passed. Asgard was also a considerable wealthy kingdom, due to being able to grow many crops year-round. To Asgard’s west was Latveria, known for high mountains, and ruled by King Victor, who had a hard time finding a queen. Latveria’s sworn enemy was the Fantastical Islands, a loose collection of allied islands off Breynstan ruled by King Reed of the Richland Reef, and his wife, Susana, from Storm’s Bay. To the south of Asgard was Xaviera, dry land that was well known for their metalsmithing, ruled by King Charles. The furthest north was Hydra, in a cold climate often called an endless winter was Hydra, ruled by King Alexander.

“So, my choices are Prince Loki the Silver-tongued, Prince Johnathan the Hothead, and Prince Scott the Dull.” Roslyn groaned, thinking about her prospects. “Further, none of them will realize that the heir to the throne of Riverswell will go to me, and not them.”

“Yes, your grandfather was quite the progressive when he passed that law, wasn’t he?” Natasha smirked. “But you don’t need to dismiss them all, you’re only going by gossip.”

“I’m going by the gossip YOU gave me, Master of Whispers!” Roslyn scoffed.

“Don’t blame me, we all know you only have eyes for one man.” Natasha teased, pinching Roslyn’s sides as she buttoned her dress.

“Natasha! Don’t speak too loudly. I’m just going to go through court for the customary one year, while I try to get my father to come around to my side.”

“But aren’t you the one who gets to decide?”

“By law, both the prince or princess and the current monarch must approve of the match. But I’m sure he will come around, after all, he married my mother’s former handmaiden.” Roslyn said.

“But Roslyn, that was after he had searched through court through all the princesses and ladies, as required by the law.”

“Exactly!”

“So you’re going to make sure you find something wrong with every single guy who comes your way.”

“All except one.”

It was then that there was a knock on the door to Roslyn’s chambers. Natasha opened the door to see it was James, lieutenant commander of Riverswell’s army, and Princess Roslyn’s personal guard. “Princess Roslyn, Queen Virginia wishes to let you know that she has sent Princess Morgana to her room with Lady Wanda and that the guests should be arriving soon.”

“Thank you, Sir James.” She smiled at him. “Tell her, and my father that Natasha has just put me in my dress, and she will be doing my hair soon.”

He walked into the room, and said to her, “I told you that you don’t have to call me Sir.”

She looked at him with a smirk “And I’ve told you that you don’t have to call me Princess.”

“And I’ve told you,” Natasha said, pointing at Roslyn “That just because you think this is pointless, doesn’t mean I’m going to let you go out there looking like the wind threw your hair. Now chop-chop.”

“Natasha, I’m supposed to be the last one to enter so I can make a grand stupid entrance, remember?”

“Doesn’t mean we have all the time in the world, now come on.” Natasha pushed her down at her vanity and began brushing her hair. James excused himself out of her room to go relay Roslyn’s message to Queen Virginia. James had been a longtime friend to Steven, now Commander of the Royal Military of Riverswell, ever since Steve was a young little lord to be, and both their fathers went off to fight with King Howard in his rebellion. Later, Steve and James both got to prove themselves to King Anthony when they fought back Kree invaders from the east, which helped Steve move up the chain to Commander and then naming James and Samuel, a fierce warrior from the land of Wakanda in the South, as his Lieutenant Commanders. This also made Steve the personal guard of King Anthony during peacetime, and Samuel the guard for Queen Virginia and her daughter, Morgana.

When King Anthony’s first wife, Queen Gwendolyn, had died in childbirth, King Anthony had declared himself mourning for five years, and the whole kingdom felt sad for him. While some whispered that the mourning period seemed long for a king, Anthony was also a man who lost his wife, and now had to raise their child on his own. After five years, he began the courting process for an additional two years, but his eyes never fell off his late wife’s handmaiden, Virginia, who had also taken on the task of helping King Anthony watch his daughter, Roslyn, when he was unable to. It was then that he found an exception in the marriage laws for the King, written before Anthony’s own father had declared princesses to be as eligible to the throne as princes. It said that if the King (which would need to be changed to the ruler) could not find a suitable marriage with a princess from another kingdom, or lady from within Riverswell, then he may marry a high-ranking member of the royal staff, such as a handmaiden. Citing this law, he declared Virginia to be his bride, they got married and was coronated as queen within a month. Three years later, she became pregnant, and nine months later gave birth to their own daughter, Morgana.

On King Anthony’s council was his Right Hand, Lord James of House Rhodes, who was King Anthony’s official second-in-charge of Riverswell. Since Roslyn was heir to the throne, she was also learning under her father, and thus was also considered another second. There was Lord Vision, in charge of the bank of Riverswell, and coincidentally married to Lady Wanda, who was the assistant to Master Stephen, a healer, and priest of the Faith, the polytheistic religion that many in Breynstan believed in. Lord Steven was also a part of the council as the Commander of the Military. As the unofficial Master of Whispers, Roslyn’s handmaiden Natasha was on the council to divulge secrets she had learned from her network of spies across Breynstan, and even throughout the world. And, another rarity for a kingdom in Breynstan, Queen Virginia was also a member of the King’s Council. In most Breynstan kingdoms, the Queen was excluded from councils and was charged with the caretaking and maintenance of the castle, but Virginia was also adept at diplomacy, which made her a necessity for the council.

The castle’s Great Hall was full of women in bright, embroidered gowns, and men without their armor in their best clothes. The festivities started by King Anthony and Queen Virginia being announced as they walked in, and as they walked to their thrones at the other end of the room, greeting the guests coming up to bow and curtsy to them.

Once the commotion died down a little bit, that was when it was time for Roslyn to make her entrance. While she waited for her moment, Roslyn stood right outside the doors to the Grand Hall, with her faithful guard, Sir James, right by the door, one of the very few men in armor that evening, waiting for the okay from Lord James.

“Are you nervous, Ros?” Sir James asked.

“Very.” She said.

“You shouldn’t be.” He smiled. “You look beautiful this evening.”

“Thanks.” She smiled.

It was at that moment that Lord James peeked through the door to give Sir James the go-ahead. That was when Sir James had opened the door for Roslyn, as Lord James boomed through the hall. “And now, King Anthony Stark of Riverswell, First of His Name, would like to present his daughter to the court, Crown Princess Roslyn Maria Stark, First of Her Name.”

That was Roslyn’s cue to begin her walk into the room. The whole room watched as she walked in, wearing the gold and red of her house colors, her long dark brown hair styled up in various twists, with a few wisps purposefully left out by Natasha, with the crown of the princess rested atop her head. The various candles in the room shone off the many other pieces of gold jewelry she was wearing in her ears, around her neck and her waist. The room stood silent and watched her proceed slowly through the room to her father, who was standing at the end of the hall, waiting for the customary first dance between them. Roslyn made careful to smile at the guests in the room, even though she hated being in the room at that moment.

When she had reached the end of the room, she curtsied to her father, who then offered his hand to her, as they began to dance, talking quietly to each other.

“Father, you know I hate this.”

“I know, little rose, but I want to find you a suitable husband who will help you rule this land when I’m gone.”

“Well I’m not going to find one from another kingdom, they don’t understand we do things differently in Riverswell.”

“Then you can pick one of the lords of Riverswell, they would understand.”

“I wouldn’t trust them either. How would they know what the people want, they have spent their lives in their nice towers looking down at their people.”

“So have you.”

“Except I talk to our people. I go outside and actually listen to them.”

“Oh, so then you’ll be the one who understands the people?”

“I can listen to them, father, but I can’t understand them. How can I know what they need if I haven’t lived a life like theirs?”

“So what you’re saying is you need to be a pauper?”

“No, what I’m saying is I would need a wise council from one if I am going to rule Riverswell as well as you have.”

“And you don’t think having one on your council is sufficient enough?”

It was then that their dance had ended, and the room erupted in applause. Her father bowed to her, she curtsied to him, and he walked back to Queen Virginia, leaving Roslyn alone to be hounded by the suitors.

The first one who practically rushed to her was Prince Johnathan. With a cocky grin, he asked her for a dance. Despite wanting to vomit, she smiled, accepted, and began to dance. He never seemed to stop talking throughout the dance and was whisking her around so much she started feeling physically ill. When the song stopped, she could tell he had started to ask for another, but she was quick to interrupt. “Thank you, your grace, for this dance. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

She turned to look for the next partner, and he came up, seeming almost as disinterested as she was. Prince Scott bowed, asked her for a dance, and she accepted. Thankfully this dance was quiet, as he barely spoke, but it also felt like dancing with a large log. The song seemed to go on even longer than before, and Roslyn suspected that with each song, she would feel the night drag on longer and longer. When the song finally ended, Scott was the first to let go and bow, sensing he wanted to get away as quickly as she did. Roslyn began to suspect, just like she, he was being forced to go through this while his heart was with another.

She again had barely time to wait until the next partner came up. Prince Loki made his bow seem like a big grand gesture. “Princess Roslyn, you are just as beautiful as the songs have described.”

“Thank you, Prince Loki.”

“It would be a great honor if I could have this dance.” He asked.

She felt herself wanting to roll her own eyes, but instead, she said “Then I shall grant it to you.”

The next song began, and while Loki was certainly the best dancer of the evening so far, it still felt like, with every statement she made, he had a quick, clever retort to. It felt like she was having a sparring match, instead of courting. She imagined how exhausting it must be having to court him. He doesn’t smile, she thought. He smirks.

When the song had ended, Loki had bowed. “Thank you, Princess Roslyn, for this stimulating conversation, it’s so rare I find someone on my own level.” He said. Is that what had happened, Roslyn thought.

“Thank you yourself, Prince Loki. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sit down for a little bit to catch my breath.” She smiled, curtsied, and walked over to the seat right next to her father, with Queen Virginia n the other side.

When she sat down, her father was quick to ask “What did you think of them?”

“Prince Johnathan is full of himself, Prince Scott wants to be here even less than I do, and Prince Loki is exhausting.”

“How exactly is he exhausting?” Queen Virginia asked.

“With everything you say, he has some ‘clever’ reply. It was like constantly fighting him with words.”

“I would’ve thought you would enjoy that, Ros,” Virginia said. “After all, you are more well-read than most other princes, let alone any other princess in Breynstan.”

“But I don’t want someone who makes the simple act of having a conversation feel like an obstacle. I want someone who’s easy to talk to, a good listener.”

“I’m afraid you won’t get that from any royal.” Her father admitted. “They’ve all been raised to think they’re the greatest men who’ve ever lived, and that their every word shall live on throughout eternity.”

“Ah, so you do agree with me that courting a lord wouldn’t be worth my time?” She said.

“I said no such thing.” Her father said, smirking back at her.

It was the next day, and the most noteworthy guests had stayed for breakfast. As Morgana was eating breakfast next to her mother, she was listening to her parents and Roslyn speaks with their guests. Prince Johnathan kept talking about his jousting, while Prince Loki kept making inappropriate jokes about his jousting pole.

Morgana leaned over to her mother and whispered “Mother, does Roslyn have to marry all of them?”

“No dear, she’s going to pick just one of them.” Queen Virginia whispered back.

“I think they all sound stupid.”

“Morgana! Sh!” Queen Virginia quickly shushed her youngest daughter, then looking around hoping none of the other guests heard her. They all seemed oblivious, except for her husband right next to her, who chuckled so much he almost choked on his water. She looked back at him and gave him a stern look.

After breakfast, many of the guests from last night started packing up and leaving in their carriages. This made the castle quiet once again, leaving Queen Virginia to discuss the events of the previous night with Lady Natasha, King Anthony to look over the records of the ships that had come into port over the last week, and Roslyn, who was going to be in the library reading. Queen Virginia had instructed Morgana to stay in her room for the morning, with Roslyn promising that, after lunch, they would play their favorite game, which was to watch the ships coming and leaving the port, and try and make up stories about them. However, Morgana figured no one would have to know if she snuck through the secret passageway that was just across from her bedroom.

She snuck around the dark hallway until she saw a sliver of light, and moved closer and stood on the tip of her toes to see that she was looking into Sir James’ bleak chamber. But Sir James wasn’t alone in his chamber. She looked to see him and her older sister, Roslyn, kissing, and panting a whole bunch. Roslyn’s hands were weaved in Sir James’ hair, and his hands were on her face, as he pushed her down on his bed. Were they wrestling? Then why were they kissing so much?

“By the Gods, you look so beautiful, I hated seeing you up there with those stupid princes.” He said to her.

“And every moment I had to listen to them made me long for you.” She smiled, as he continued kissing her. He began pushing up the skirt of her dress, as she started untying his breastplate. Morgana had fallen off her toes as she hit the hard ground, making a loud noise.

This caused both of them to look towards the armoire in James’ room, as James grabbed his sword, and moved cautiously towards the armoire. He then threw the armoire doors open, seeing little Morgana sitting in the armoire, looking frightened. “Please don’t hurt me!” she screamed.

Roslyn and James breathed a sigh of relief, and James put his sword back in his hilt. “You have nothing to worry about little princess. I would never hurt you. I only thought you were an intruder.” He held out his hand to help her out of the armoire that led to the secret passage.

“Morgana, did you sneak out of your room?” Roslyn asked.

“I was bored,” Morgana answered.

“Mother would be furious if she knew you were sneaking around the castle in the secret passageways alone.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again!” Morgana argued.

Roslyn walked over to Morgana, and leaned down to look her in the eye, and made a promise. “If you promise to stop sneaking around the secret passages alone, then we will let this be between just the two of us. Promise?” Morgana nodded in agreement.

James grabbed an unlit torch from near his armoire, and a match as he began to start the fire. “Luckily, Steven and I learned how to navigate these passages a while back, so I can take you back to your room, and the Queen will be none the wiser.” He smiled.

“Can I ask you guys something?” Morgana looked at them.

“Of course.” Roslyn smiled.

“What were you two doing?” Morgana asked them.

Roslyn looked her in the eye again and said “You can’t tell anyone else about that, Morgana. You have to promise me that.”

“Why not?”

“Morgana, can you promise me?”

Morgana groaned then agreed. Roslyn kissed the top of Morgana’s forehead. James picked up Morgana and put her inside the armoire, and James crept in, following suit. The two of them walked through the passageway back to where Morgana went in, thanks to James’ torch helping them see.

“Why are these dark hallways here?” Morgana asked him.

“They’re here in case some bad guys come in the castle to try and hurt you and your family. We will then use these secret passageways to sneak you all out of the castle, so the bad guys can’t get you.”

“Bad guys like those guys trying to marry Roslyn?” Morgana asked.

Sir James laughed. “They’re not bad, they just get on Roslyn’s nerves.”

“So then why is she marrying them?” Morgana asked.

“Honestly Morgana, I think she’s trying everything she can not to.” He said.

“Well, I hope she doesn’t marry any of them. They’re all stupid and I don’t like them.”

“I don’t like them either Morgana.”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment letting me know what you think! I'm looking to improve my writing, so constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!


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